For-Profits Increase Veteran Enrollment, GI Bill Revenue

07/30/2014

For-profit institutions have increased their share of the overall enrollment of student veterans, as well as an increasing portion of revenue from Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Those are the findings of a new report from the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's majority staff. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and critic of the for-profit sector, chairs the committee.

The report tracked Post-9/11 GI Bill spending since the program's creation, in 2008. Enrollment of veterans at for-profits increased to 30 percent of the total last year from 23 percent in 2009, the report found, despite the fact that the sector's overall enrollments tumbled. The percentage of veterans attending a public institution declined, from 62 percent to 50 percent.

Total spending on the Post-9/11 GI Bill increased to $4.17 billion from $1.75 billion during that period. The for-profit industry's share increased to $1.7 billion from $640 million. In addition, the report said eight of the top 10 institutional recipients of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits last year were publicly traded for-profit chains.